Editor's Page |
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11/06 During the past week we have taken major steps toward getting the Events page in operation for the benefit of Florida progressives and you're urged to look at that site as it currently exists. You will notice a preponderance at this point of Gainesville-area events not only because (so I chauvinistically think) Gainesville is something of a mecca of progressivism, but more to the point that right now this is where the bulk of available information is residing. The local alternative newspaper, The Iguana, is a great source, as are the program listings of the Alachua County Library and the University of Florida, but we're hoping to find many Iguanas and libraries and colleges and universities around the state that sponsor films, lectures, etc. of progressive interest. It's a broken record, but we continue to need more input of material in events as elsewhere from everyone who uses this site; it needs to be by and of the progressive people of this state as well as for them; so to paraphrase JFK: "ask not what The Sun State Activist can do for you, but what you can do for the Sun State Activist." Jerry
3/4/06: One week into the website since its launching, and Jerry and Matt are proceeding "slowly but surely" toward a completed website. The daily process of keeping up with current news and analysis and posting same on the sub-topic sites, along with finding and changing daily headlines, consumes much of our time. A watcher could, however, see these developments on the site: ---A new site for "international conflicts" to which the U.S. is not directly a party has gone up under Peace and War. ---A new site on "public accountability" issues has gone up under the Ethics topic, covering information about impending impeachments, recalls, etc. of public officials ---The "women's issues" site has been re-modelled to have a focus on discrimination issue and is labelled as the "ERA site. ---A new sub-topic under the heading of Media Issues will deal with concerns about the quality and moral influences of the values in movies, books etc. and the issue of attempted censorship of same. All the above changes represent the products of experience in trying to "cover the waterfront" of progressive issues and finding some recurring holes in the design of the website. ---In addition, significant work may now be seen on the page for General Progressive Action, providing the visitor with myriad links to websites and other material that open portals to the world of progressive activism beyond the parochial interests of a particular issue. ---Finally, the website is starting to take on a more "Florida" orientation, reflected now in daily headlines and article postings as Florida news media are being more frequently consulted; and this will be expanded as the sub-topic pages increasingly fill up. Floridians are certainly interested in issues at the national and international levels, but there are so many opportunities to become better informed and personally involved with progressive issues as they play out at the state and local community levels.
1/29/06: Today we have attempted to place on each sub-topic site some information about websites devoted to that particular topic. Each site was selected because it is currently operating with important timely information about news, articles, books, organizations, etc.---and because it contains numerous links to other websites dealing with the same topic. These are usually published on the National section for each sub-topic, but a few of them may be found on the International or Statewide sections.
MEET THE EDITOR (Jerry Rose) I am a 72-year-old retired Professor of Sociology (State University of New York, Fredonia) who has lived in Gainesville Florida since 2001. My teaching and research specialties were in minority groups, communities, collective behavior and sociological theory. As a “sidelight” to my career, I edited and published, from 1984 until 2001, a research journal on the JFK assassination called THE THIRD DECADE and, after 1994, THE FOURTH DECADE. Before and after moving to Gainesville I was somewhat politically active, running (unsuccessfully) for a Village Council seat in Silver Creek, New York and, in Florida, worked for the (unsuccessful) campaigns of Dennis Kucinich for President (Gainesville area co-ordinator) and Rob Brinkman for Gainesville City Commissioner and (finally a success) Jack Donovan’s campaign for Gainesville City Commission; and have been active in the Alachua County Democratic Executive Committee, especially as the Chair of its Defense and Diplomacy Issues sub-committee. I have published many letters and op-ed columns on political subjects in the Gainesville Sun. I’m a member of Progressive Democrats of America and Progressive Democrats of Florida and of the Alachua County Coalition for the Homeless and Hungry. With all this political and civic activity I do have a “life” of sorts; I’m a husband, father and grandfather of a number of persons, have a goodly circle of friends, attend United Church of Gainesville and have been very active, both here and in New York state, in community theatre as an actor and director. In launching this project, I see myself as having returned to the educator’s career from which I retired in New York in 1995. As a political activist, I believe passionately in the possibility and the obligation of people with progressive political views to act not only passionately but effectively in advancement of those views in the public arena. As an educator, I believe with equal fervor in the power of knowledge, the capacity of truth to set us free. To be free is the power to make a difference in the world around us, and the Sun State Activist will be the final act of my life of empowering progressive action by promoting enlightenment on issues of progressive concern.
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